Connect with us

Published

on

The number of online grooming crimes against children hit a record high in the last year, police figures show.

A total of 6,350 crimes related to sexual communication with a child were recorded in the year to March 2023, a rise of 82% since the offence was first defined in 2017.

In all, around 34,000 online grooming offences were recorded by UK police forces over the past six years, according to data gathered by NSPCC through freedom of information requests.

Children under 12 made up a quarter of the total number of victims, the charity said.

Girls were targeted in 83% of cases where the gender was known.

Snapchat was used in 26% of instances, while Meta‘s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were used in 47% of cases where the means of communication was recorded.

In total, 150 different games, apps, and websites were used to target children.

More on Online Safety Bill

‘He used images to control me’

A 19-year-old woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she was groomed aged 15 by a man posing as a boy she was speaking to on Yubo, a French social networking app that lets users join live-streamed group videos.

The man typically became angry if she took too long to reply and would not accept it when she ended their conversations on the app.

“He just found me on Instagram and moved to messaging me directly there,” she told the NSPCC.

At his request, she had sent him pictures of herself naked.

“He used the images to control me,” she said. “I wasn’t even allowed to use the toilet without his permission.

“I was afraid to tell anyone because of the photos and his threats. He threatened to share the images of me with friends and family he’d found through my social media if I stopped replying.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Grooming gang victim: ‘I’ve heard it all before’

‘Ground-breaking safety bill desperately needed’

Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the research highlights the scale of child abuse happening on social media.

“The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed,” he said.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

The regulations proposed in the bill aim to make social media companies and search engines more responsible for content published on their platforms.

After significant delays since it was first submitted in 2019, the bill is due for its final debate in the House of Lords next month.

Read more:
Safety bill ‘massively letting down girls’
WhatsApp adds locked chats for ‘intimate conversations’

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What is in the online safety bill?

However, proposals allowing UK regulators to scan messages have been criticised by the leaders of messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Signal, who argued they would compromise users’ privacy.

The NSPCC welcomed the strengthening of the legislation relating to private messaging and added: “It’s now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse.”

Continue Reading

UK

British man among 14 killed in New Orleans attack

Published

on

By

British man among 14 killed in New Orleans attack

A British man is one of 14 people who were killed when an alleged Islamic State supporter drove a truck into crowds celebrating the New Year in New Orleans.

The city’s coroner said the preliminary cause of death for the British citizen was blunt force injuries.

Their identity has been temporarily withheld at the request of the family “pending finalisation of international arrangements”.

Dozens of people were also injured when 42-year-old army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s rented truck rammed into people in New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

A senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official has said the attack was “premeditated” and an “evil” act of terrorism, and said Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS”, also known as Islamic State.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Sky News: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in New Orleans and are in contact with local authorities.”

The coroner has also identified the majority of the victims in the attack.

More on New Orleans Attack

They are:

  • Andrew Dauphin, 26, from Montgomery, Alabama
  • Kareem Badawi, 23, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Brandon Taylor, 43, from Harvey, Louisiana
  • Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, from Gretna, Louisiana
  • Matthew Tenedorio, 25, from Picayune, Mississippi
  • Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, from Gulfport, Mississippi
  • Nicole Perez, 27, from Metairie, Louisiana
  • Reggie Hunter, 37, from Prairieville, Louisiana
  • Martin Bech, 27, from New York City, New York
  • Terrence Kennedy, 63, from New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Elliot Wilkinson, 40, from Slidell, Louisiana
  • William Dimaio, 25, from Holmdel, New Jersey

The identity of one other victim is unknown, with efforts to identity the person continuing.

The preliminary cause of death for all the victims is blunt force injuries, according to the New Orleans coroner.

The FBI has also revealed that before his attack, Jabbar set fire to a house he had rented in an effort to destroy evidence.

He had placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms.

But the fire, which was started in the hallway, had extinguished itself before spreading to other rooms.

Bomb-making materials were found both at the rented accommodation in New Orleans and Jabbar’s home in Houston, Texas.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

UK

Luke Littler, 17, becomes youngest world darts champion after beating Michael van Gerwen

Published

on

By

Luke Littler, 17, becomes youngest world darts champion after beating Michael van Gerwen

Teenage sensation Luke Littler has won the World Darts Championship after beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final at Alexandra Palace.

The 17-year-old surged to a 4-0 lead and never looked in danger despite his Dutch rival staging a mini revival.

He was assured all night, repeatedly knocking in double 10 and double-top to heap pressure on the three-time champion.

Littler, who lost in the final last year, was the pre-tournament favourite after winning 10 trophies this season.

“I can’t believe it! Honestly, I can’t believe it,” Littler said.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

“Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy but you have to get through a tough field,” Littler added.

The match appeared too close to call beforehand, with both players thrashing their semi-final opponents 6-1.

But Littler became the youngest-ever world darts champion – winning a £500,000 prize – in front of a raucous London crowd.

“Every moment he got to hurt me, he did,” said van Gerwen.

“I sometimes say every 17 years a star gets born and he’s one of them.”

“At 2-0 up, I started getting nervous,” Littler admitted. “But I said to myself, ‘relax’. To get it over and done with is special.”

He averaged 102.73 against his opponent’s 100.69, hitting 56% of his doubles versus van Gerwen’s 37%.

There were 12 180s for the English player and 13 for the Dutchman.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
The Dutch three-time champ was outclassed. Pic: Reuters

Fans were in high spirits for the big match. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Fans were in high spirits for the big match. Pic: Reuters

The prime minister was among the first to send congratulations, calling it an “inspirational performance”.

“You should be really proud of what you’ve achieved tonight, not just for yourself but for the sport of darts as a whole,” he posted.

Littler moved to tears in rare moment of vulnerability – by Will Rider, news editor, Alexandra Palace

It was the hottest ticket in town, with the two biggest names in darts going head-to-head for the Sid Waddell Trophy.

Luke Littler, the 17-year-old fan favourite, against the three-time world champion, Michael van Gerwen.

Fans young and old packed into the arena in their thousands, eager to watch a piece of sporting history.

A raucous crowd were fully behind Littler from the off, serenading him with his now trademark Walking In A Littler Wonderland chant.

And Littler delivered with a barnstorming start to blow van Gerwen out of the water.

From then on it was a coronation, with an awestruck crowd cheering the teenage sensation on to his first world title.

Littler, seemingly shell-shocked by what he had just accomplished, was moved to tears in a rare moment of vulnerability.

Darts has a new king. And he was crowned tonight at Alexandra Palace.

Littler – who’s from Warrington in Cheshire – shot to fame during last year’s championships when his run to the final captured the public imagination.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Best outfits at the World Darts Championship final

He first picked up a dart at 18 months old and is credited with supercharging the game’s popularity.

Luke Humphries, the 2024 winner and top of the PDC rankings, suffered a surprise defeat early in the tournament.

Continue Reading

UK

UK weather: Temperatures ‘plunge to minus 8C’ as snow and ice warnings in place over weekend

Published

on

By

UK weather: Temperatures 'plunge to minus 8C' as snow and ice warnings in place over weekend

Temperatures are expected to plunge to minus 8C as weather warnings for snow and ice are set to remain in place over the weekend.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold weather health alerts for all of England ahead of a week of low temperatures.

Amber alerts were issued from 12pm on Thursday until next Wednesday, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

Temperatures of between minus 4C and 5C were expected in parts of Wales and southern England on Thursday night, plunging to minus 8C in northern England and Scotland.

Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There’ll be widespread frost across the country from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Read more from Sky News:
Household bills could rise by almost £270 in April
Hunt for driver after woman, 70, killed in hit-and-run

“It will be comfortably below where we should be for this time of year and I would expect temperatures to hit minus 8C in parts of Scotland.”

More on Uk Weather

Mr Stroud confirmed conditions should become warmer by the end of this weekend before cold weather strikes again early next week.

He said: “The second half of the weekend should be in the high singles or low doubles.

“But temperatures will dive again next week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday.

“They should start to improve towards the latter end of the week. But there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until then.”

Snow settled on the ground in the west end of Aberdeen on 2 January. Pic: PA
Image:
Snow settled on the ground in the west end of Aberdeen on 2 January. Pic: PA

The NHS Black Country integrated care board has warned the public to “avoid going out early when the frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark”, adding people should keep their hands free and wear shoes with a good grip.

In Herefordshire, the Wye Valley NHS Trust told people to “have sufficient food and medicine and take measures to reduce draughts in your home”.

London councils activated an emergency accommodation protocol on Thursday for people sleeping rough in freezing conditions.

The emergency measures, which see extra beds made available, have been active for three nights so far this winter.

Meanwhile, several weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office ahead of a blast of snow over the weekend.

Friday's weather warnings. Pic: Met Office
Image:
Friday’s weather warnings. Pic: Met Office

The yellow warning indicates there could be icy surfaces in northern and western Scotland, the northwest of England and Northern Ireland.

It will remain in place until 10am on Friday morning, and could make for difficult travelling conditions, the forecaster warned.

A snow and ice warning is also in place covering parts of northern Scotland until 10am on Friday.

A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place from noon on Saturday until late on Sunday night and covers all regions of England, other than the South West, Wales and parts of southern Scotland.

Weather warning for snow and ice in place on Saturday. Pic: Met Office
Image:
Weather warning for snow and ice in place on Saturday. Pic: Met Office

About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20cm to 30cm over high ground in Wales and the Pennines, the Met Office said.

Strong winds could lead to snow drifts in some areas, and freezing rain as temperatures creep up could add to the risk of ice.

Weather warnings in place on Sunday. Pic: Met Office
Image:
Weather warnings in place on Sunday. Pic: Met Office

A separate warning for snow is in place for most of Scotland from midnight on Sunday until 12pm on Monday.

The cold snap comes as a major incident was declared in Greater Manchester by police on Wednesday after flooding forced homes to be evacuated and closed train lines and roads following heavy rain.

Continue Reading

Trending